The Office of Accessibility Services is available for current and perspective students with disabilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehab Act, and NY State’s Human Rights Law, accommodations can be provided for students with documented short- and long-term disabilities.
Prospective students: Please contact Robin DeVito, Accessibility Service Coordinator, at rdevito@fmcc.suny.edu or at (518) 736-3622 Ext. 8145 to discuss the services that can be provided to assist you while applying to FM and in planning for the courses and services you will need in the coming semester. Services include, but are not limited to, sign language interpreting services, extra time for tests, financial aid with a reduced schedule, the use of reading and smart pens, alternate textbooks, and enlarged print.
Prior to planning accommodations, you can send documentation of your disability by scanning to the email address listed or faxing to the offices private fax number, 518-762-6518. Any mailed documentation may delay the process while the physical office is closed. If you do not have a way to scan or fax your documentation, but have the use of a cell phone, you could take a picture of the key pages of your documentation or use the ‘Notes’ function on your phone and use the ‘scan documents’ feature to send it to email address listed above. If you are having difficulty obtaining documentation from your school or service provider, considerations can be made to provide you services in the interim.
Current students: With many online and other forms of remote instruction, you may find a need to change the accommodations that had previously been arranged or want to discuss any difficulties you are having accessing your courses. Students who hadn’t previously requested services may decide to utilize services while receiving their instruction online or remotely. To discuss changes you may need, please contact Robin DeVito directly at (518) 736-3622 or email at rdevito@fmcc.suny.edu.
If you received extra time for tests and quizzes, you can still receive this accommodation when taking tests online. Your instructor can reset the Black board setting so that you will be given double time for your tests for tests that are timed (ex. If you are given several hours to complete). If your tests are untimed (ex. You have the duration of the module or days to complete the test), extra time might not be needed.
If you had a note taker for your course, it is likely that you will no longer need a notetaker if power points and notes are provided online and if you have unlimited opportunity to replay videos with captioning. Exceptions in which you would want to continue to have note taking services would by synchronous courses.
For students with print disabilities, there are several free downloads that adaptive technology companies are making temporarily available to all students. Examples include:
· Reading software such as Kurzweil 3000 Web app that can be used on any browser on any device; Read the Web extension that can be used on Chrome or Firefox; Kurzweil 3000 installed Version for Windows and Mac. For more information, go to Kurzweil 3000 Web app.pdf.
· For the deaf and hearing impaired, captioning, relay services, and video remote interpreting can be arranged by the Accessibility Coordinator.
Please be aware that we will have disposable and reusable clear face masks available to instructors or others who want to be sure that their lips are visible for lip reading.
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Whether made of brightly-colored cotton or medical-grade materials, face masks are now a fact of life during the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But face masks can make communication difficult, especially for deaf students, faculty, and staff at your college — and it’s an issue that transcends the classroom. The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) |
· For students with vision impairments who need screen magnification, screen enhancement, or screen reading functionality, Freedom Scientific if offering those in the US and Canada a Free Home License of JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion to anyone (not just students) up until June 30, 2020. More information can be found at support.freedomscientific.com or by calling 1(800)444-4443.
· Your home computer should also have programs available to assist with adaptive technology needs. For instance, a text to speech function called Narrator as well as a screen magnifier and high contrast option is available on Windows 10. Speak text-to-speech feature is available in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
To discuss other possible adaptive tech, service needs, or any barriers you are experiencing, in your learning environment, please contact the Accessibility Service Coordinator at the number provided. We understand that these can difficult times, especially for students with anxiety and other mental health disabilities, and that further considerations may be needed. Remote counseling services are available upon request